This invention relates to substituted benzyl carbamates, a process for producing them and their use as herbicide intermediates. In particular, this invention relates to substituted benzyl carbamates of the formula ##STR2## in which: R is a member selected from the group consisting of halogen, trifluoromethyl, cyano, NO.sub.2, C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 haloalkyloxy, phenoxy, pyridyloxy, and substituted phenoxy and substituted pyridyloxy substituted with one or more members of the group consisting of halogen and trifluoromethyl;
R.sub.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl; and PA0 R.sub.2 is a member selected from the group consisting of pyridyl, phenyl and substituted pyridyl and substituted phenyl substituted with one or more of the group consisting of H, cyano, halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy and C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 haloalkyl.
The compounds of the present invention, as will be seen from the description and test data which follows, have utility in preparing both pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides useful against a wide range of plant species. The compounds are of particular interest when used in pre-emergence application.
The terms "herbicide" and "herbicidal" are used herein to denote the inhibitive control or modification of undesired plant growth. Inhibitive control and modification include all deviations from natural development such as, for example, total killing, growth retardation, defoliation, desiccation, regulation, stunting, tillering, stimulation, leaf burn, and dwarfing. The term "herbicidally effective amount" is used to denote any amount which achieves such control or modification when applied to the undesired plants themselves or to the area in which these plants are growing. The term "plants" is intended to include germinant seeds, emerging seedlings and established vegetation, including both roots and above-ground portions.